This invention relates to a technique for processing messages to improve response by handheld computer to user input. More particularly the invention relates to managing the processing to handle user input and messages received by a handheld computer from a server computer in a manner such that processing of user input is not delayed as perceived by the user.
Handheld computers, such as handheld personal computers or palm-sized computers are now used to communicate with desktop personal computers or server computers to exchange information and records. Typically, the handheld computers are used to handle personal information management functions such as e-mail, calendars, to-do lists, phone or personal contact lists, notes, etc. One of the most active uses is the management of e-mail, particularly by exchanging e-mail between server computer and handheld computer.
Because of the limitations in hardware and software of the handheld computer and some other personal computers, such computers when operating as client computers to a server computer have operative or performance limitations. Some of these performance limitations are particularly visible by the user.
In the handheld computer, E-Mail messages (data notification) have a priority for processing that is higher than the priority assigned to user interface device (keyboard and mouse) messages. In the past, during massive E-mail downloads, the handheld computer would not respond, or be very slow to respond, to user key strokes or mouse commands until the e-mail download was complete. The e-mail download having a higher priority than user input would lock out the processing of user interface commands. From the perspective of the user, the handheld computer appears slow or locked-up. In effect, there is a problem of system lockout or inability of the user to interface with the handheld computer during massive E-Mail message down loads.
In accordance with this invention, the above and other performance problems on small or handheld computers are solved by a method for managing in a main processing thread in a handheld computer user input messages and e-mail messages. A second thread is created from the main thread. The main thread has a user input queue for user input messages, and the second thread has a notification queue for e-mail notification messages. The method then processes the user input messages in the user input queue until the user input queue is empty. A sending step passes a notification send signal from the main thread to the second thread after the user input queue is empty. The notification send signal indicates when the main thread is available to process e-mail notification messages. The main thread retrieves and processes e-mail notification messages sent from the second thread after the notification send signal has been sent from the main thread until the user input queue is no longer empty.
In another aspect of the invention, the invention is implemented as apparatus for preventing a perception to a user of slow processing or system lockout by a client computer due to extended delay in processing a local item while the client computer processes a server-based item. The apparatus has a notification module and a main processing module. The notification module has a server-based item notification queue storing notices of changes in server-based items awaiting processing. A main processing module processes local items and toggles ON/OFF a notification send signal to the notification module. The notification send signal is toggled ON, when all local items have been processed, and is toggled OFF when local items are waiting to be processed. The notification module sends notification messages to the main processing module for processing, when the notification send signal is toggled ON, and stores notices of changes in the notification queue when the notification send signal is toggled OFF.
In another aspect of the invention, the invention is implemented as a computer program storage medium readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process in a client computer. The computer process manages the priority of handling user input messages and server-based item messages from a server computer. The computer process begins by opening a first thread for processing user input messages and server-based item messages. The first thread has a user input queue for user input messages. A second thread is opened to hold server-based items for processing by the first thread. The second thread has an item queue for server-based item messages. The process continues by retrieving for the first thread the user input messages from the user input queue until the user input queue is empty. A send condition is set to ON when the user input queue is empty and reset to OFF when the user input queue is not empty. The process sends a server-based item message from the item queue in the second thread to the first thread when the send condition is ON. The first thread processes the user input messages from the user input queue and the server-based item messages from the item queue whereby the user input messages are processed before the server-based item messages are processed.
In a further aspect of the invention a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave readable by a computing system encodes a computer program of instructions to execute a computer process for controlling the priority of processing of first and second messages in a client computer. The computer process has an establishing operation, a holding operation, a toggling operation and a processing operation. First and second queues are established for the first and second messages respectively. The second queue holds the second messages until a retrieve condition is toggled ON. The toggling operation toggles the retrieve condition ON and Off depending on whether the first queue is empty or not empty, respectively. The processing operation processes first messages from the first queue and second messages from the second queue depending upon whether the retrieve condition is OFF or ON, respectively.
A more complete appreciation of the present invention and its scope may be obtained from the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below, and from the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention and from the appended claims.